Looking for a beach "getaway" in Texas. Is there anything out there that is significantly better than Galveston? South Padre? Doesn't look all that nice in the pictures....Please post recommendations

What are your expectations? If "pictures" of South Padre scared you, my guess is you need to consider Hawaii or perhaps Cozumel/Cancun.

Well...My expections would be better than Galveston enough to make it worth a 6 hour drive... I don't expect Hawaii

Define "better than Galveston" please.

Water Color/Clarity...Cleaner beaches...Galveston is dirty

Sounds like your mind is made up already... enjoy South Padre.

I'd rather there be less people on the dirty beaches in Galveston anyway. I got crowded out of my fishing spot yesterday morning by some obnoxious, sun-burnt, loud as all hell tourist's kids. They literally waded out in the surf to within spitting distance of me. I realize that it's a public beach and they have as much right to be there as I do... but a tiny bit of courtesy would have been nice.

Sorry, didn't intend to rant.

I don't know that spi beaches are any cleaner than galveston's, as in less trash, but yes, the water is usually clearer. There's trash on every beach in Texas where people frequent.

I go to galveston all the time..Just looking for something different...But don't want to drive that far if it's not worth the drive. We'll see

Why not try port aransas. I don't think spi will be worth the drive.

Water clarity will be an issue for the whole Texas coast as it is shallow and we have no reef. That means the water is constantly churning the sand off the sand bars. It takes the wind laying down for trout green to the beach to happen.

Rockport's "beach" is the only place you'll find clear water as it is on the bay and not the gulf.

I'd hit Port Aransas over driving all the way to SPI.

Thanks for the advice..I might check out Port Aransas

i honestly don't think any of them offer anything different enough to warrant the drive.

if you drive six hours to SPI instead of 20-30 minutes to galveston just because you want "something different", i think you'd be sorely disappointed...especially when you indicated that what you were concerned about was water color/clarity and clean beaches.

Yep. 2 years ago I would have suggested crystal for a "getaway". Beach houses, restaurants, bars, freaks, etc

then Ike came.

There may be some decent rentals down there now. Check swedes or Cobb real estate. But yes, water is clearer down the coast.